Hostage
by Ada C. Eliana
Summary: When the bank is taken hostage, Rowen finds himself in a bad situation that turns deadly. He has a very difficult decision to make, and not a lot of time to consider his options.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is not connected in any way to either "The Consequences of Fallibility" or "Changing Series: A New Foe." It stands alone.

Here's an idea I came up with recently of what the Ronin Warriors would do when presented with the life and death of those around them. To use the power, or to not use the power? In **Hostage**, Rowen will consider exactly that.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ronin Warriors.**

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**Hostage**

Chapter One

_Bang!_ A single shot was fired into the air. The atmosphere of the room immediately changed; panic replacing the calm attitude. Screams echoed off of the marble walls as people reacted to their fear and instinctively covered their heads. "Listen up! Nobody move!" The words were shouted at the crowd, causing an instant silence to descend. "Get down on the floor! Hands on your head!" a disembodied voice ordered harshly. Directly after, five men appeared from seemingly thin air, cheap ski masks fixed over their heads. One man still held the gun, rotating it at the crowd of citizens inside the main lobby of the bank. The other four unsheathed long knives, holding them out to prevent any attacks. The gunman's second command has been completely contradictory to the first command, but no one said anything. This man had a _gun_, in _Japan_. That should be impossible. As each person, young and old lowered themselves to their knees and placed their hands over their heads, the four men with knives walked around, binding the hostage's wrists together. The last person they came to was a teenage boy with blue hair. The criminal jerked his arms harshly behind his back, as he tied the stiff rope around his wrists.

Rowen felt shame color his cheeks as he sat there, his hands bound behind him. He was a warrior after all, or at least his had been, back when the Dynasty had attacked. He surveyed his surroundings. An old woman sat immediately to his right, silently weeping with fear. To his left was a young boy, whose mother kneeled behind him, whispering encouragements into his ear. From what he could see, there were roughly twenty other hostages, making the grand total twenty-three. It was a busy day for the bank. Rowen had been astonished by how quickly everyone – including himself, had followed the criminal's instructions; the men were outnumbered after all. The Japanese really were an obedient society.

The employees of the bank had been led away from the counter, and were now kneeling on the cold floor, their wrists bound as well. The young bank tellers, who prided themselves on their respectable positions were now staring at the floor, shaking with fear. Rowen pitied them, understanding how much terror a single gun could produce. However, as soon as he thought it, he realized he was in the exact same situation as they were. He only hoped the criminals would get what they came for and get out. Otherwise… Rowen let his thought hang, he was not sure what he would do if the situation worsened. Could he really do anything? Would he? He ignored the questions in his mind and looked for the criminals.

The gunman was walking around them, his pistol pointing at each person's face, just as a pleasant reminder that he could take them out at any time. He paused as he leveled the gun with Rowen's forehead. Rowen was not sure what made him stop; perhaps he could see the icy determination and confidence in his steel blue eyes. The man made eye contact with the young Ronin, his gaze a warning that easily read 'do not even think about trying anything.'


	2. Chapter 2

Thank you to **Zorra**, **Samantha B.**, **Meira Evenstar**,and **Firestorm** for your reviews. I'm glad you all like it so far! Oh, and I'll be making the chapters longer, I promise. This one is kind of short, but I'll explain that later...

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors. I swear.

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Chapter 2

It was a nice Saturday. The sun was shining overhead, and a cool breeze kept the air from becoming too hot. Rowen had woken up late as usual. After staggering into the bathroom for a quick shower, and then eating as much as possible in two minutes, he had descended the stairs of his apartment building, and entered the parking lot. He hurried down the streets, overcoming his drowsiness with each step. He had to make it to the bank to put some spare money in his debit account, and cash his father's check. After that, he was to meet Sage and Kento for a baseball game (Kyodai versus Hanshin) and then the three were going out to dinner. The game started at noon, and Rowen managed to make it to the bank at eleven, giving himself a good hour to get there.

As Rowen entered the marble lobby of Mizuho bank he could instinctively tell that something was not right. He stood at the end of a long line, velvet ropes corded off the section. He stared intently around the room, looking for the cause of his unease. However, everything seemed perfectly in order. The guards were standing at either side of the entrance to the vault, the tellers were handing out money. Even the people in line did not arouse suspicion. An old woman, a mother with a young child, businessmen, families, a pair of teenage girls, old men, none of them seemed particularly devious. And yet… Rowen frowned.

His newfound abilities had never been wrong in the Dynasty. His instincts were sharpened and honed during his battles. If anything, they should be more pronounced than before. Rowen looked up and saw that the line had moved forward, leaving a large space between him and the woman in front of him. As he closed up the space in line Rowen caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked quickly and for a brief moment he saw a man standing behind a column, staring at the crowd. He gazed into the now empty space, wondering what the man was doing back there. He did not have to wait long. A few moments later, he heard a _'Bang!'_ and all he could think was _"You have got to be kidding me…"_

Not sure whether to run for it and then try to take out the criminals, or to comply, he hesitated. However, the gunman stared straight at him, and he knew it would be impossible for a teenager with electric blue hair to not be remembered. If he slipped out now, he could just wind up getting himself, and others, into even more danger. Therefore, he lowered himself to his knees, his hands on his head. He held back his anger when his hands were tied behind his back. The man gave him a silent warning, a warning he took to heart.

**11:25**

Rowen looked anxiously at the clock. What were those criminals doing? Why did they not just get their money, and get out? He looked over, watching as a few of the thieves were attempting to gain entry to the vault. On the other side of the room, the gunman was threatening a young teller. He held her up by her bound wrists, making the two of them uncomfortably close. His gun was resting against her collarbone, assuring her that she would not be able to get try anything to escape him without getting killed. She seemed terrified as he demanded to know how to get into the vault. "I don't know! They don't tell us!" she screamed in fright. "I…I'm new here! Please believe me, no one told me anything about the vault!" The gunman looked unconvinced, but he dropped her anyway. She hit the ground hard, before skittering into a sitting position and sliding backward, away from the gunman. Rowen looked at the clock again.

**11:28**

Who did know how to get into the vault? How much money could they have in there anyway? Was it really worth any of their lives? Rowen shook his head, attempting to clear his mind. These thieves were not going to leave until they got into that vault, and they would not care how many bodies it took to find out how to get in.

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So, how is it so far? I thought I'd give a little view into what Rowen's day was supposed to be like, rather than how it's turning out. What is he going to do?

I would have made it longer, but I'm going on vacation tomorrow and wanted to update again before that. So, I hope you enjoyed it.


	3. Chapter 3

First, a big 'thank-you' to all of my reviewers.

**Fragile Dragon: **Thank you very much. I'm having fun writing this because it's very different from my other Ronin Warriors fic. No demons, or Dynasty, just some mortals.

**Aurora2361: **Thank you. I hope you continue to read.

**Meira Evenstar: **I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Disclaimer: I in no way own, or claim to own, the great entity that is the "Ronin Warriors." The events in this story however...

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**Hostage**

**Chapter 3**

**11:30 a.m.**

Rowen stared at the clock impatiently. Two minutes had passed. He heard the criminals shouting at each other, and then a loud thump as one of them kicked the impenetrable vault. Then he heard a saw being revved up. _'How did they get an electric saw in here?'_ Rowen thought. Apparently it was of little help, as he soon heard the saw turned off, and one of the men threw it angrily against a marble column. _'Temper, temper!'_ The men began to argue again, trying to decide on the best way to enter the treasure trove.

The people around him were beginning to get hysterical. Indeed, the young teller was practically bawling from where she sat, leaning up against the wall.

Rowen watched the scene with an eerie feeling of detachment. He felt more like a silent observer than a participant in this situation. He attributed it to desensitization. All of the things he went through in his life made him stoic, more able to stand calmly aside from a crisis. That was how he and Ryo had gotten through the Dynasty alone. Even in the midst of battle, Rowen was able to analyze the situation and decide the appropriate action, even the action that required the sacrifice of his own life. Even now, as he thought back on that moment, he was disappointed at how little emotion his actions wrought in him. He always thought that something like attacking Lady Kayura, leaving Ryo an opportunity to save the others at the expense of his own life should have made him feel… something more than it did; something other than calm resignation.

And that was how he felt in the bank, unfazed by his own situation.

Not to say that he was not worried about those around him. For some reason Rowen always felt more worth in the lives of others than in his own life. That was why in so many battles he had thrown himself in front of his comrades to protect him. Some called it a hero-complex, some selfless, but he knew it was all about low self-esteem and self-worth.

The woman next to him whimpered, and he forced himself to analyze what was happening. The men could not get into the vault, which meant either 1: they would give up and skip out of the bank happily, which was highly unlikely, or 2: they would announce that they had taken the bank hostage and demand access to the vault. Rowen felt that number two was probably where the situation was headed right now.

**11:50 a.m.**

"Who knows how to open the damn vault!" the gunman called out. Silence met his words. "WHO KNOWS!" he shouted again. He rounded on the tellers, angry eyes demanding answers.

"The… the bank manager," one of the tellers, an older man sputtered in fear, shrinking back as the gunman approached him.

"Where's the bank manager?"

"He's not working today," the teller replied.

"And he's the only one who can open the vault?" He nodded nervously. "Then what the hell do you do with the money at the end of the day?" The man pointed to a small safe on the wall. "Open it," he commanded, untying the man's hands.

"But… there isn't any money in there… it's all in the tills…" the teller pointed out nervously.

"**Open it**," the man ordered again, pointing the gun at the older man's forehead. The teller did not need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet, the soles of his shoes squeaking as he moved across the marble floor. He threw open the cover to the safe, and rapidly spun the combination. After the third number, he tugged on the door, but it did open. The man's hands, clammy from anxiety tried the combination again, his fingers slipping on the wheel. It did not work again, and Rowen could hear his nervous breathing increase, along with his heart rate.

Rowen sighed out loud, and then thought to himself, _'There's no way this guy is going to get it open without having a heart attack.'_ There was sweat pouring down the teller's face now, and he nervously pulled on his tie.

"What's the problem?" the gunman asked, stepping over to the safe.

"I… I…" the man was so scared that he could not even speak.

"Open it now, or you'll be the first to die!"

At those words, every hostage in the room abruptly looked up. _'First to die! That meant he is actually going to kill some of us! That crazy bastard!'_

The man seemed to wilt at the gunman's words, his face turning stark white. "Please… I have a wife… and a little girl… please…"

"Just ask him for the combination!" Everyone, including Rowen, was surprised when Rowen shouted those words across the stark white marble.

"What did you say?" the gunman demanded.

"He's so scared he can't even spin the dial anymore, just ask him for the combination and put it in yourself," Rowen explained fearlessly. Compared to being stared down by Anubis as a Warlord, Lady Kayura, and Talpa, one thug with a gun was nothing.

"Silence!" he shouted. "I will not be ordered about! I have the power!" the gunman shouted maniacally. "And you'll all do exactly as I say! Especially you!" he added, glaring at Rowen. Rowen sucked in a breath, waiting for the gunman to make some sort of action. However, nothing happened. Rowen was beginning to feel lucky until the gunman whispered to one of his goons. The goon walked over to Rowen and dragged him to his feet – by his hair. Rowen bit his lower lip as the electric blue mass threatened to be ripped from his skull.

"You don't talk to the boss like that," the man threatened, his face inches from Rowen's. He was a tall, rather brawny looking man.

"Oh really," Rowen replied conversationally. This statement was met by a hand colliding painfully with his left ear. The effect of the goon cupping his hand forced the air into his ear, and made it feel as if it would explode. Rowen, however, did not give him the satisfaction of showing that he was anything but disinterested. The goon held the knife threateningly in front of Rowen's face, but it was just a warning. He let go of his slackened hold on Rowen's hair, and forced him back onto the floor.

Once the goon walked away, he heard a voice whisper towards him. "That was very foolish," the older woman next to him said. "I'd rather not see you dead." Rowen grimaced.

**12:01 p.m.**

Kento and Sage sat side-by-side in the stands. Next to Sage was an empty seat, Rowen's seat. "Where is he?" Kento hissed to Sage as the game began. "He was making such a big deal about wanting to come, so why isn't he here?"

"I don't know, he's only one minute late, maybe he overslept?" Sage suggested. Kento looked satisfied with the response, a little peeved maybe, but not anxious about Rowen's whereabouts. Sage however, was worried.

_'Come on Rowen. Where are you?'_ he wondered, distracted from the game that he really did not want to see anyhow. _'Why do I get the feeling that something is wrong?'_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Yes, I've finally updated! I'm sorry I made everyone wait so long, I just seem to be having a hard time structuring this story the way I want to. Oh well! And you know, if you ever need a fanfic to fill the void of boredom, you could check out "The Consequences of Fallibility," or "Changing Series: A New Foe" (a shameful plug for my own work...)

Anyway, for some reviewer comments, because you are all awesome! This was an astounding number of reviews for one chapter of one of my Ronin Warriors fanfics, and it kept me brainstorming for the next chapter since I knew there were people looking forward to a review!

**Wolfkun: **The answer to the armor question will be in this chapter. Thank you for the review!

**Red Ranger Chick: **Thanks for the review!

**Soon to be world renown grace: **Thanks for the review!

**Firestorm: **Thank you very much. Yeah, I just don't think Rowen would stand by and let that teller guy freak out, that's why I had him speak up. And as for Sage and Kento, well, you'll just have to wait and see.

**Meira Evenstar:** Thanks a lot for the review!

**Tamesis:** Yeah, Rowen dead is not cool. Thanks for the review!

**Hikaru1617: **Thank you very much! I'm glad that you're enjoying this story, and finding it helpful as well. And yes, Rowen is ina tense situation, because one wrong move could screw up everything.

**Samantha B.: **Thanks for the review!

**Fragile Dragon:** Thank you for the review! I actually know exactly what you mean, that's what makes this fic so challenging, trying to decide how Rowen should react in the situation.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Ronin Warriors, but if I did... well, let's not get into that.

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****Chapter 4**

He was going crazy. He had counted the floor tiles, counted the ceiling tiles, analyzed his situation a dozen times, and a million other little brain exercises, but he still felt like his head was going to explode. Never make a genius sit for that long with nothing to do. Never. He stared around, and decided that the best idea would be to make little names for the criminals, so he could refer to them in his mind.

First was the gunman, who he decided to just call 'Gunman' as it kept everything simple.

Next, the man who had threatened him, he would be 'Violence.'

Then the tall, thin man in the corner who in his mind was christened, 'Beanstalk.'

The shorter, rounder man was to be 'Doughnut.'

Then there was the man with short, greasy hair, he Rowen would refer to as 'Greasy.'

And lastly was an older man whose long black hair was pulled back into a traditional style bun on the back of his head. He, Rowen decided would be 'Samurai.'

Lame, he knew, but at least he would be able to keep them straight.

He thought once again about how he could help in this situation. Though he had lovingly considered it, using his armor was definitely out. First of all, he was not too keen on revealing himself to all of the strangers surrounding him. And second of all, there were no demons in the room, just crazed humans. He could not use his armor against humans. He had no idea what kind of force to use on a regular person, and Sai would definitely have a fit if he used his armor on a person. Besides, attacking the thieves was not such a good idea. There were many hostages in the room, and all it would take for Rowen to give up would be a gun held to one of their heads. No, he would not do anything to endanger the lives of those around him. That was a solemn promise he would try his best to keep.

After all that showmanship, Gunman had asked the teller for the combination, and then opened the vault himself. Was that really so hard? And, just like the scared teller had said, the vault was empty.

Gunman was very angry, but it was his own fault. As if the teller was capable of lying at this point. He rolled his eyes as Gunman raged, and saw Violence look at him, brandishing his knife in a way that was sort of… violent. Rowen quickly looked down at the floor, his ear was still swathed in pain, he could barely hear out of it, and his head was pounding. He may be one ticked-off warrior, but he knew that one more hit like that, and he would become disoriented. So he played the good little hostage and kept his thoughts to himself.

Gunman motioned for his goons to cross the room and join him in a private discussion, which Rowen could only assume would be about what they were going to do now.

He relaxed, now that he was not being threatened openly by a man with a large knife, and then he felt it for the first time. Something warm was sliding down the left side of his face. Alarmed, he tried in vain to see the substance that was now heading down his neck. As he writhed his head to see, he heard the woman behind him whisper to him for the second time that day.

"Your ear is bleeding," she said. He nodded, of course that's what it was. He could only imagine how red the whole left side of his face was, blood notwithstanding. "How long do you think they'll keep us here?" she asked, her voice as quiet as possible.

Rowen shrugged. "I don't know, this is my first time," he responded in a whisper.

"Yeah, mine too. I'm just worried about my kids… if I don't get home soon, they'll be really worried."

"And here I was, mad that I'm missing a baseball game," Rowen said. The woman smiled slightly in response. "I'm Rowen by the way."

"Kyoko," she responded. However, their conversation was cut short when the goons began walking back towards their stations. Kyoko shrank back from Rowen so as to not catch their captors' attention.

Gunman pulled the young, female teller to her feet. "Call the bank manager," he said gruffly, leading her over to the marble countertops. She shook with fear as he picked the phone up off of the receiver. "What's his number?"

"I… I…" she said frantically, her eyes darting between his hard stare behind the mask, to the gun which was pointed at her heart. "It's in the directory," she finally blurted out, nodding her head toward a thin binder that was lying on the opposite counter. The gunman set down the phone and reached for the directory, not taking his eyes off of her, lest she try something. He flipped open to the front page, and laid the book out in front of the phone. He dialed the number and then held the phone to the girl's ear. "What… what do you want me to say?" she asked quickly.

"Tell him he is to come to his bank, alone, and open the safe. And tell him that if he alerts anyone, I will kill you," he said simply, and the coldness in his voice was enough to tell everyone there that he was completely serious.

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Another short chapter I know, I'm horrible. But I thought it was a good place to stop, with another cryptic sentence and building suspense. So, let me know how you liked (or didn't like) it!

- Sarah Shima


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** First of all, I would like to make a comment about Rowen's actions throughout this story. I am trying to show how someone would react in an unusual, high-stress situation. Rowen's been in all sorts of trouble before, but nothing quite like this, so it's new to him too. I just hope it all seems believable and he does not get out of character.

**Zorra: **Thanks for the review, and sorry for the cliffhangers, but they just keep manifesting themselves.

**Fragile Dragon:** Thanks for the praise and the review. I hope you find this chapter as good as its predecessors.

**darkangel507: **I'm characterizing Rowen in my own way I suppose. Because in the "Ronin Warriors" his character is not very explored, save the scenes with Kayura where he says he'll gladly lay down his life for those of others, I'm trying to justify Rowen's thoughts and behaviors. Anyway, I'm glad you're liking the story, and thank you for the review.

**Meira Evenstar: **Thanks for the review.

**Mischa Kitsune: **Thanks very much for the review. I'm glad to see that everyone is finding this story refreshingly original.

**Firestorm: **Thanks for the review.

**Samantha B.: **Thank you for reviewing.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own Ronin Warriors.

**Warning:** This chapter is rated 'M' - just in case. **

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**Hostage**

**Chapter 5**

**12:40 p.m.**

The silence was deafening.

The pretty teller was standing off to the side, Gunman pressing the barrel of a gun against her skull. The gun and his hand were both covered in her sleek black hair.

The tension was thick as everyone waited for the bank manager to arrive. The teller – her name card read 'Kimi,' had done exactly as she was asked. A great deal of fear had overcome her words as she told the bank manager to come alone, or else the gunman would kill her. Whether the bank manager thought more of her safety, or of his, remained to be seen.

Every time tires were heard on the street outside of the bank, everyone looked up. Kimi seemed on the verge of a complete breakdown, her entire body twitching. Her dark eyes darted to the door and then to the gun, as if she was seeing her death playing before her. All it would take to set off the trigger was the appearance of the police. How ironic, that the people everyone is supposed to look toward in time of need could be the last nail in her coffin.

The hostages inside were waiting expectantly for the bank manager, hoping that once the criminals had what they wanted, that they would let everyone go.

Rowen however, was still suspicious, and was worrying over whether the bank manager would come at all. And, if he did, would he bring the police with him? Sure the life of one of his employees was threatened, but did he even know her? Did he care? Or was he more concerned about the money and security of his bank? Rowen was inclined to believe the latter. Besides, he was sure it was bank protocol to call the police when the bank has been overtaken by criminals.

Rowen hated situations like these. He had read about them in the news of course, and every time, he always wondered about the little worth that was placed on human life. Really, why are material things always more important than a person, than someone who lives and breathes?

Rowen started when his acute hearing picked up a far-off sound no one else heard: the sound of _sirens_. Rowen's breath caught in his chest, and he looked up at Kimi just as the sound amplified. The sirens became closer and closer, and still Rowen stayed cemented to his spot on the floor. In his mind he ran through scenarios of what he should do. Nearly all of the plans in his mind led to someone's death. There was no avoiding it at this point, was there? So what the Hell was he supposed to do? If he tried to save Kimi, he could wind up getting himself or one of the other hostages killed. If Gunman would kill her, he would not hesitate to take out as many people as it would take for Rowen to back down. What should he do? His mind spun and it irritated him, he had to make a decision and he had to make it fast. So why were his legs suddenly frozen? _'Dammit Rowen, you're a warrior! Pull yourself together!'_

The police cars pulled in front of the bank, and Rowen finally regained control of himself. He leapt to his feet, deciding to protect Kimi as well as he could, but it was too late. At the same moment, Gunman released the teller. Gunman pulled the trigger with a resounding _bang_. The bullet flew cleanly through the side of Kimi's skull, landing across the room covered in blood. Blood spurted out of her head, spraying the white marble interior of the bank. She stayed standing for an instant, as her eyes rolled back in her head. Then she fell lifelessly to the floor, her body splayed in an awkward position.

Gunman stepped back, not the tiniest bit of remorse evident on his visage. It merely seemed that he had performed a necessary business transaction. He put the gun down and walked away from the bloody mess.

Rowen rushed to Kimi's side as everyone else screamed. Dead, empty eyes stared back up at him, and he felt an intense guilt form inside of him. He could have stopped it… or couldn't he? What would have happened if he moved an instant earlier? Would the gunman have killed them both? Would anything have changed? Rowen would never know the answers to those questions. However, there was one thing he understood plainly, those questions would haunt him until the day he died. And that day did not seem so far off now.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Bet you thought I just fell off the face of the Earth, right? But I am BACK! Yay! And I appreciate all of the feedback I've received on this story from all of my wonderful reviewers, thank you so much! Also, really important, I am changing my penname to Ada Eliana, so don't be confused when the story updates under a different name. I would like you all to know that I am making this story a priority now, I want to see it finished, and soon. So once again, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own the Ronin Warriors, if I did it would be called "Rowen and the Ronin Warriors" a much more apt title, I assure you.**

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**Hostage**

By: Sarah Shima

Chapter 6

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The sounds of boots on cement resounded around the building, sirens wailed in the streets, and Rowen stayed frozen in place. Kneeling beside the dead teller, his body felt like lead. He never saw someone actually die before. With the Dynasty, it was different, it was never… like this. The pool of blood continued to spread, now darkening the denim around his knees.

A life just ended, just blasted out by a bullet. Rowen stared at Kimi's face, her expression stuck in one of surprise, and of resignation. He wished he could close her eyes, but felt that it should not be done with his hands behind his back. Forcing himself to look away, he turned to stare coldly at Gunman. He was conferring with some of his colleagues again; just talking, as if nothing happened, as if he had not just killed that girl. Rowen's eyes turned an icy blue as he staggered to his feet. He would find a way to end this.

Slipping backward to sit again beside Kyoko, Rowen stared at his surroundings, he surveyed the bank with cold scrutiny, searching for exits, hiding places, structures, anything he could make out.

The criminals started grabbing hostages, using them as shields as they pulled blinds down in front of the windows to block the police's view of the interior. Rowen knew now that things were only becoming worse. With the police blocking all of the exits, even if they managed to get the vault open and take the money, there was no way the hostages were getting out of here alive. They would have to use the hostages as bodyguards if they wanted to get out.

Dammit.

Rowen looked around at the people in the bank. They were clearly thinking the same things he was, they were scared.

The room became darker as all of the blinds were shut, and this gave Rowen an idea. However tough these hostage-takers were, there was no way they had better night-vision than a Ronin Warrior. If he could somehow get the lights turned off, then he could take them easily. The only problem was the other hostages, they would have to be out of the way before that could work. No way would he let them catch a stray bullet or get killed because of him.

He looked around again, and decided it was time to form a plan.

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Sage checked his watch – again. 12:50p.m.

"Kento, I'm getting worried, this is late, even for Rowen. I already tried his cell a dozen times, and he hasn't picked up," Sage said. Kento looked up from the game long enough to catch the look of unmasked anxiety in Sage's visible eye.

"Okay," Kento said, standing up. The person sitting behind Kento groaned as he missed seeing a good play. The crowd cheered around them.

"Kento?" Sage asked.

"Come on, you're worried, so that means something is definitely up. So let's go, we should look for him."

"You sure?" Sage asked, knowing that Rowen was not the only person excited about that baseball game.

"It's just a baseball game. Besides, I already ate my limit of hot dogs. And it's really not as fun when Rowen isn't here getting all flustered and shouting things at the players. So let's go, Sage!" Kento ordered.

Sage nodded; standing and gratefully following Kento out of the row, and out of the stands. He only hoped Rowen were not in some sort of trouble.

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Rowen began fiddling with the rope holding his hands together. The only way this would work was if he had his hands free. He felt someone's fingers briefly rest on his, and looked discreetly over his shoulder to where Kyoko had slid around so that she now sat back to back with him. "What are you going to do?" she whispered, her fingers working on the ropes binding his hands.

Outside the police were demanding that the criminals turn themselves in and release the hostages – as if that would work.

"Why don't we return some of these hostages, eh boys?" Gunman suddenly said. He paced the outer perimeter, staring down the people huddled together. "You." He pointed to a middle-aged salary man sitting in the far corner, a leather briefcase lying beside him. "Pick up dead-girl over there," he motioned at Kimi's body. "And go out to say hello to the police. I'm letting you go."

The salary man seemed dubious at first as would anyone. But a second later, he clattered across the floor like an elementary school boy going to recess. He grabbed Kimi from around her torso and dragged her towards the doors and the welcoming arms of freedom.

"See that alcove? There's a door there, leads to the alley next to the building, that's also where the power box is. I need you to get everyone out of here, and turn off the lights," Rowen hissed in Kyoko's ear, certain that no one was paying him any attention.

"What about you?" Kyoko asked, Rowen could barely hear her because of his injured ear, but he could tell that she was less than pleased with this plan.

"I'll be keeping our 'friends' busy. Don't worry, I can handle myself. When I say "go," okay?"

"All…. all right, Rowen," she said hesitantly. "Good luck," she sighed, nearly done untying the rope, and her own being loosened by Rowen's nimble hands.

Gunman's goons had all collected around him, watching the man stumbling towards the door, the corpse he held weighing him down, relief and happiness contorting his aging face. The hostages were rapt with attention, jealous that he had been let go; nervous that their captors had something devious planned.

Rowen's heart began to beat erratically as his mind worked through his plan, which seemed more and more hopeless, only making him 'Rowen the Human Target.' He just needed to focus. If he could defeat Talpa, then these thugs should be no problem – except he could not use his armor. But they did not have magical swords either, so it all evened out. As long as he could distract the criminals long enough for the hostages to escape then he had succeeded.

He was expendable, always had been.

Just as the salary man made it to the door and pushed it open, Rowen felt the ropes shrug off his hands and Gunman took aim. One shot rang through the air, and the salary man keeled over on the steps of the bank, landing on top of Kimi and bleeding profusely.

It was now or never.

"Go!"

* * *

**A/N: The end of another chapter. What will happen to Rowen? Will Kyoko turn the lights off? Will anyone else die? Will Kento and Sage find out what happened to Rowen? **

**The quickest way for an update is if I find my inbox full of reviews! So hit that button and let me know what you think of this latest installment!**

**Thanks a bunch,**

**_The author soon to be theWriter formerly known as Sarah Shima_**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I was planning on delaying the update in order to make the chapter longer, but then I was on the Samurai Fanservice message board and saw a post about my story, so I fel horribly guilty for waiting this long to update (I mean seriously, I get irritated when other authors do this) and decide that a small update is better than no update. Don't you all agree? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and please review when you are done.

Disclaimer: See chapter one.

* * *

**Hostage**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter Seven

* * *

Quick recap:

Our baddies (named by Rowen):

Gunman

Samurai

Greasy

Beanstalk

Violence

Doughnut

* * *

_**Last time:**_

_"See that alcove? There's a door there, leads to the alley next to the building, that's also where the power box is. I need you to get everyone out of here, and turn off the lights," Rowen hissed in Kyoko's ear, certain that no one was paying him any attention._

_"What about you?" Kyoko asked, Rowen could barely hear her because of his injured ear, but he could tell that she was less than pleased with this plan._

_"I'll be keeping our 'friends' busy. Don't worry, I can handle myself. When I say "go," okay?"_

_

* * *

_

_It was now or never._

_"Go!"_

* * *

**1:15 pm**

"Go!" Rowen hissed to Kyoko, leaping from his spot on the floor, the rope still tangled on his right hand.

Gunman had barely seen a blur arching towards him in the air before Rowen had landed on top of him, knocking him to the ground. He got off one shot that went wide and missed Rowen's head before the Ronin wrenched the gun from his grasp. The other criminals charged at Rowen and their ringleader, giving Kyoko the cover she needed to usher everyone towards the back exit.

Rowen rolled off of Gunman just in time to find several of his buddies holding their knives on him. Flipping onto his feet he evaded the first slice, kicking the man in the gut.

"Where do you think you're going!" Violence's voice rang throughout the marbled room, his attention aimed on the fleeing hostages. Kyoko, who was ushering people out from the back of the group turned her gaze to him, and then ran forward behind the alcove. Rowen pushed past the distracted men and attacked Violence. The man whipped around, stabbing his blade into the muscle of Rowen's shoulder as Rowen's first struck his face, hard. Rowen clutched at his bleeding shoulder, staggering back slightly. _Jeeze Rowen, two minutes in and you're already injured. What would Talpa say?_ He looked over his shoulder to see the others had formed a circle around him, and there was Gunman, up and training the once-discarded weapon on him.

* * *

Kento and Sage walked out of Rowen's apartment building in agitation. They had discovered it empty, with no signs of a struggle. It appeared Rowen had just left. So then where did he go?

"Well, let's walk towards the subway station and see if we can maybe figure something out," Sage suggested. Kento nodded, his eyes scanning the sidewalks and streets for signs of Rowen. He had originally thought Sage paranoid, but something told him that Rowen was in trouble.

* * *

As it was, Kento and Sage turned the corner just before a small crowd of people slipped out the side entrance of the Mizuho Bank anxiously, the police immediately upon them.

A cacophony of lights and sound met them as they took in the police cordoned block around the bank. Police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances lined the road. Yellow tape had been strung up and people pressed against it, craning their necks and shouting questions to find out what was happening.

"You don't think…?" Kento began, raising an eyebrow as he looked up at Sage's face. Jaw clenched Sage scanned the scene before him once more, trying to suppress the sinking feeling that he and Kento had found exactly what they were looking for. Of course if the bank were to be taken hostage it would just have to be while Rowen was there. It was just his kind of luck.

Kento and Sage joined the crowd of gawking passerby, sidling up beside a woman who seemed very intent on the situation. "What's going on here?" Sage asked; staring at the bank's covered windows.

"The bank's been taken hostage," the woman responded, pushing a lock of dark hair out of her eyes. I heard that they've been in there since maybe 11:30 this morning, and there's at least one gun."

"Really?" Sage asked. The game had started at 11:30; Rowen might have stopped at the bank on his way to the station. "How many people do they have hostage in there?"

"I don't know. They sent two out earlier – both of them were dead," she answered, tight-lipped, the spinning lights of the police car beside her casting her face in odd colors. Sage's stomach dropped and he paled slightly.

Sage focused his attention on the building across the street, using his well honed senses that went beyond sight, sound, and touch, to seek out any sign of Rowen.

"Do you know who died?" Kento asked, picking up the conversation when it seemed Sage could not.

"A young girl and an older man, that's all I know," she said, turning to look at Kento. She looked about 35 years-old, and her eyes were framed with crinkles, her forehead set into worry lines. "Why are you here? Morbid interest?" she snapped.

Kento, taken aback, quickly sought to reassure her. "No ma'am. My friend never showed up to meet us today, we think he might be in there."

"Oh. Sorry," she said quietly, regretting her harsh tone. "My sister is in there. We live in adjacent apartments, and my niece came over to tell me that her mom hadn't been back from the bank in an hour. I turned on the news, and saw this. I just can't believe it."

"Yeah, this sort of thing doesn't happen everyday, thankfully," Kento muttered uncomfortably, his eyes latching onto Sage's for an instant before the taller warrior turned back to the building.

"And it's just so like my sister. Trouble always follows her around. My father always said if she didn't tone down her rebellious personality there would be trouble, but I don't think this is what he meant," she chuckled briefly, a sort of pained reaction. "I just wish we knew something, that something would happen."

"Well sometimes no news is good news, right?" Kento asked. His question fell on deaf ears as the woman had turned her attention back to the bank, watching as police escorted a line of people away from the building.

"Sage!" Kento said, smacking him lightly to get his attention. At the same moment Sage felt a twinge of pain that did not belong to him and knew his fears had been founded. "Look they're coming out!" Kento craned his neck to catch a glimpse of the line of people. "But… I… I don't see Rowen out here," he said, confused. They had been so sure he was here.

"That's because he's not," Sage said stiffly. "Rowen's still inside!"

* * *

**A/N: **A little less Rowen, a little more Kento and Sage. I'd say that's a fair trade off, wouldn't you? Next chapter is where the action really starts, so don't think it's over yet.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and please review. Because I do read them, and they do give me the kick in the pants I need to get working on another chapter.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you thought,

A.C.E.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: This chapter is going out to Shadow of Yang. Thanks for the PM and the needed kick in the pants to get back on the RW fanfic wagon! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**And thanks to everyone who's been reading and reviewing, we're winding down now in "Hostage" and it's only getting more crazy from here on out!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own RW, I do however have two YST artbooks, a drawing board, a bunch of action figures and all the DVDs besides volume 7, does that count for anything?**

* * *

**Last time: **Kyoko and the other hostages raced to safety, shutting off the lights as they went. Sage and Kento stumbled upon the hostage situation at the bank and realized that Rowen must be inside.

* * *

**Hostage**

By: Ada C. Eliana

Chapter 8

* * *

_"A hero is one who knows how to hang on one minute longer"_ - Novalis

* * *

Before he could fire a shot off, the room was plunged into darkness. Rowen took his opportunity, Gunman was his most dangerous opponent, and so taking him out of the game first would make things much easier for him. He darted forward to attack, but Beanstalk intercepted him, saving Gunman and aiming a fist at Rowen's face. Rowen dropped, the fist hitting air and Rowen's legs swinging out, bringing Beanstalk down on top of him. The man now better able to gauge Rowen's location in the dark bank, punched and scratched at Rowen as he tried to pin him down to the floor.

Violence and the others circled around them, boots kicking out at Rowen, and to his own misfortune, Beanstalk was caught in the crossfire a couple of times. Rowen barely felt their attacks, instead, his mind was moving quickly, forming a plan to stop them. The last thing he expected was for Gunman to screw it up right away.

"Stop messing around with him one of you and get the lights back on!" Gunman shouted.

Rowen heard the heavy footsteps of Doughnut race by him to follow orders and realized that he had a better chance of stopping them in the dark, so he had better take the opportunity to stop as many as he could now, before Doughnut turned the lights back on. If only Kyoko could have ripped the wires or something too. But he knew that she had done more than enough for him, it was up to him to get himself out of this situation now.

Ignoring the punch Beanstalk had just landed to his cheek; Rowen pulled his fist back and connected with the man's nose. He toppled backward, clutching at his face, and Rowen leapt to his feet. He stared at the men surrounding him and found it difficult not to picture them as Talpa's soldiers, mindless drones without souls or even the ability to talk. He forced that image out of his mind, because no matter how cruel they might be, they were not dark soldiers, and he couldn't think of them that way.

The crowd closed in around him, and he jumped into the air, spinning and kicking Greasy in the neck before landing gracefully on his face. Greasy went down hard and Rowen did not take time to wonder if that had been a fatal blow or not, or to worry about the possible complications and consequences of his actions. In an ideal world he would only be knocking each of them unconscious, but without too much experience in fighting real humans he truly did not know how hard to hit or where to aim his blows. All he knew was that he had to get out of there alive. Now that he had no other hostages to worry about his number one priority was himself. And he would not be killed by a bunch of mortal thugs.

Death was not an option. He would do whatever he had to in order to survive.

* * *

Sage tried in vain to get the attention of the police officers who were holding the crowd back, but they all just yelled at him to stay behind the barricade and otherwise ignored him.

"They won't talk to you, you know," the woman they had been speaking with said. "I've been trying to ask them about my sister, but they just keep barking their orders and pretending they don't hear us. Something tells me they really don't know what they're doing."

"That's just great," Kento frowned. He knew just how useless authorities could be from the battles with the Dynasty, but then he could understand, when there was a supernatural phenomenon occurring it was difficult to know how to react. But a hostage crisis at a bank really should have been within their understanding, and he hated that they were standing there, doing nothing, while Rowen might be trapped inside. After all he'd been through already, the last thing Rowen needed was the death of those two people on his conscious, or to have to take care of the situation himself. The Ronin Warriors had saved the world, they shouldn't have to be responsible for each individual person as well. He did not even let himself think that Rowen might be killed inside, because if there was one thing he knew about the Warrior of Air, it was that Rowen was always thinking, always planning, and so out of the five of them, Rowen was the one Kento trusted the most in any situation. He would find a way to disarm the men and escape, because no matter how self-sacrificing any of them might be when it came to each other, they each knew that the Ronin Warriors needed to stay alive, their destinies had not been fulfilled yet, they were needed for important things, and so they had to survive at all costs.

While staring at the bank and still desperately hoping Rowen wasn't in there (while somehow knowing for sure that he was), Sage had quite a different thought process than Kento. While yes, he trusted Rowen with his life, and knew just how competent his friend was, he also knew that none of them had ever been in a situation like this. Not to mention, Rowen was used to fighting with the extra strength and power of his armor. Without it, he would feel out of sorts, would have a more difficult time.

"You don't understand, someone's still in there!" Sage's sharp ears heard the woman's protestations from far away and turned immediately to see a 30-something woman arguing with a policeman off to the side of the building. He recognized her as having been towards the end of the line of hostages that escaped the bank. Without bothering to be polite, Sage shoved himself through the crowd and towards the woman. "He was hurt, I don't know what they might have done to him but you need to do something!"

"Listen ma'am, we're doing what we can. You know as well as we do that it would be a danger to the hostage if we charged in there now. We're working through standard procedure to ensure everyone's safety."

The woman snorted under her breath, but the policeman walked away and left her there, standing on the sidelines and staring at the bank.

"Excuse me ma'am," Sage said, trying to catch her attention. "Excuse me!" She turned and caught his eye. "The person still in there – can you tell me who it is?"

"His name's Rowen," she responded, something about the intensity with which this stranger stared at her reminding her of Rowen. She wondered briefly if maybe they were related, but the resemblance she saw wasn't anything hereditary, it seemed more learned, and she wondered for not the first time just who Rowen really was.

Even having expected that blow, Sage still took in a sharp inhale at her words. "You said he was hurt?" Sage said, his voice sounding pathetic even to him. Kento had caught up to him, listening eagerly, the woman they spoke with earlier right behind him.

"His ear was bleeding," she responded quietly, wringing her hands. "I don't know if he could hear right with it."

"Let me guess, he caused a distraction so all of you could escape," Sage said, recognizing it as such as a self-sacrificing Rowen tactic. From behind him he heard Kento groan in exasperation.

"That's basically what happened. I guess you know him pretty well?" Kyoko asked, her gaze swiveling between Sage and Kento.

Sage nodded. "He's my best friend."

"He's the only hostage left in there, and those men… they looked angry when we got away. They're probably taking it out on him and I can't see why the police aren't doing anything!" Kyoko exclaimed, seeing an ally of sorts in Sage.

Sage blanched slightly at the implications of her words, but was quick to reassure the woman. "Rowen's tough, he'll be alright. But… he's probably going to need some back-up. What was the situation like exactly when you left?"

"I pulled the breaker on my way out – turned off the lights. Rowen asked me to, I don't know, maybe he thought if it was dark he'd have a better shot at getting out. But I only flicked the switch, I mean, they might have turned them back on by now."

"How many men are there?"

"There are six, they all have switchblades, but the one has a handgun also, and he already killed two people…" her voice caught slightly, and she had to stop, dark hair falling in her eyes as she tried to swallow over the lump in her throat.

Sage nodded sympathetically, impressed by the woman's courage, but needing her help for just a little while longer before she broke down. "How did you get out?"

"There's a side entrance," Kyoko said, pointing to where she had fled the bank. "But the police will be watching it now, and besides…" she trailed off for a moment as she stared in Sage's eyes, saw them take on that determined look she had seen in Rowen's when she told her to escape. "You're not planning on going in, are you?"

"I can't exactly leave Rowen alone now, can I?" Sage shrugged, pulling off his jacket, knowing it would only get in the way and forming the beginnings of a plan. Police procedure be dammed, he was going to help his friend no matter what.

* * *

The lights flashed on and as spots danced in front of Rowen's eyes at the sudden change, the group charged him at once. He fought without sight, with nothing but basic instinct, but they kept getting blows in – on his left side. Rowen's hearing had been compromised on that side and it had him feeling off-balanced, unable to predict the actions of the members of the group in a way he should have.

He ducked and blocked to the best of his ability. Someone grabbed his right hand, and as he fought to free it the others attacked on his left side. While still yanking to get his right arm free from the steel grip that someone – Samurai? – had on it, he fought back against the other, kicking Doughnut in the face and spotting Gunman watching the happenings quite coolly, leaning against a pillar with his gun.

A flash of metal sliced through the air and Rowen used Samurai's hold on his arm as leverage to flip into the air and out of the way, arching over Samurai's head and landing on the other side of him, his right arm twisted awkwardly. He spotted a coil of rope knotted around his arm and wondered how the hell Samurai had time to do that. Samurai abruptly released his right arm but then pulled on it with the end of the rope, dragging Rowen to the floor. His back hit hard, but then he was on his feet again, pulling against the rope while still fending off the others.

Doughnut launched himself at Rowen, pushing him to the floor and pinning him abruptly. A length of rope suddenly was looped around Rowen's neck and cinched tightly. Rowen stiffened, his pinned left hand groping futilely towards his neck. Doughnut leapt off of him and the rope around his neck tightened as someone pulled on it, dragging him like a dog on a chain towards the back corner where the vault was.

From outside he vaguely heard the police speaking through a megaphone, ordering the thugs to release the final hostage and give themselves up.

It appeared that Samurai, Beanstalk, and Doughnut were all dragging him, perhaps realizing that Rowen was too dangerous to be fought one on one or by any normal means. The rope on his arm was pulled painfully tight, and Rowen found himself helping them by shoving his feet against the floor to gain forward momentum and lessen the tautness of the bindings. He had to protect his neck the most, it would be easy for them to permanently damage his throat, crush his windpipe, damage his larynx, fracture his vertebra, if they tightened that rope too much. Rowen suddenly found himself wishing that he didn't have such a good memory as the list of potential injuries flitted through his mind, right along with textbook drawings of what each injury looked like. He couldn't take the chance of doing any fancy flips or anything of the sort against them until he figured out a way to get them to drop the rope. He pulled at the rope with his left hand, just enough to let up some of the pressure, not enough to end up damaging his spine himself.

He heard something large being lifted, and he remembered with horror the chainsaw they had been using on the vault earlier. His mind raced, trying to come up with some sort of counter plan, and as they pulled him closer Rowen saw Violence standing there with the saw in his hand, an expression of bloodlust on his face. Rowen's stomach dropped and the others laughed as they noted the panic on his face.

They suddenly stopped pulling him, and Rowen's right arm was twisted painfully against his back, the rope at his neck cinched tight to prevent him from fighting back as the wrapped the rope from his arm around his chest and tied it tightly, his right arm completely inflamed with pain and feeling as though about to break in its current position.

"Let's see how he fights back without his left hand," Gunman suggested from where he stood across the bank.

"You idiot! The cops have this place surrounded and I'm the last hostage you have, you should be trying to figure out how to get out of here alive, not wasting your time on me!" Rowen protested, his voice pained by the tight hold of the rope. Gunman said nothing, just walked slowly towards him, approaching him. He grabbed Rowen's chin, forcing his head forward despite the rope's tight hold.

"You decided to make a fool out of me, kid, by sending all your little hostage friends outside. And you're right, the police have us surrounded, there's no way out. But even if they do get us in the end, what do you think – that they'll win? – not if the news is reporting about the two people shot and that one stupid, moronic kid who got himself chopped into little pieces. That's not a win, kid."

"You can still bargain," Rowen protested, his voice scratchy and terrible sounding.

"You don't need to be alive to be a bargaining chip," he smiled. "Take his left hand," he ordered Violence before stepping away.

Greasy lumbered over towards him, his neck bruised but not looking too badly for his short bout of unconsciousness, and he helped hold the rope around Rowen's neck while Doughnut and Beanstalk grabbed his left hand and pulled on it. Violence approached with the chainsaw and Rowen knew he had to think of something fast if he wanted to make it out of there at all.

* * *

**A/N: There're about two chapters to go! Let me know what you thought!**

**Thanks for reading,**

**_Ada_**


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